The valedictorian of Vineland High School’s Class of 1954, Ingrid Wagner, became a feminist pioneer, activist for civil rights, supporter of the arts and the environment, assistant dean at Princeton University, key leader of the Eagleton Institute, and board member and chair of countless New Jersey organizations. She passed away recently.
Wagner Reed was born in 1936 in Wilkes-Barre, PA, and was raised in Vineland. After graduating from Vineland High, she enrolled on a full scholarship at the University of Pennsylvania Class of 1958. This was Penn’s first class that included women. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in economics.
She met her husband of 60 years, Marvin Reed, in New York City and they were married in Vineland.
Reed ran for West Windsor Township Committee on the platform of forming a master plan for the community. Her bid was unsuccessful but her focus on planning led to 18 years on the Mercer County Planning Board as the first woman appointee and where she served as chair for 11 years.
In 1974, she joined Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs, serving as director of the Rockefeller Public Service Awards program, then as assistant dean.
While at Princeton, Reed received a W.K. Kellogg Foundation National Leadership Fellowship, allowing her to study private sector real estate development in Kenya, East Asia, and Chicago.
In 1987, Gov. Tom Kean established the Capital City Redevelopment Corporation with Reed as chair, a position she held until 2010.
In 1996, she joined the Eagleton Institute at Rutgers University to lead The New Jersey Project for the next 15 years. She served on the board of the Community Foundation of New Jersey for nine years while the foundation’s assets grew nine-fold.
Reed was a frequent program host at the Princeton Public Library including her annual election reviews with MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki.
She was founder and board chair of NJ Spotlight, chair of the Community Advisory Board of NJ PBS, and had a stint leading the Governor’s Task Force on Local Government Ethics Administration.
Reed loved all things New Jersey, dedicating her life to the enrichment and improvement of the lives of New Jersey’s young and old. Her enthusiastic contributions leave an enduring legacy. n
Reed joined a long line of Vineland-area women who challenged the status quo and changed societal norms for women, starting with the 172 women who voted at Plum Street Hall in Vineland in 1868. On the last weekend in September, the Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce with the Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society will celebration that historic event. Read below for all the details.
Celebration of Women: September 28 and 29
Fifty-two years before the passing of the 19th amendment, 172 women from Vineland, including four African-Americans, symbolically cast their ballots for the 1868 presidential election. Led by Portia Gage, the women bravely set up their balsa wood blueberry crate in the corner of a backroom within Plum Street Hall, and voted for the next president of the United States, ushering in a new era for women’s rights. The unseasonably warm November day of 1868 was a portend for a brighter, yet still unsettled time for women in the United States.
In honor of these trailblazing women, the Greater Vineland Chamber of Commerce along with the Vineland Historical and Antiquarian Society (VHAS) will be hosting a voting reenactment followed by a celebration reception to recognize the women who own businesses in present-day Vineland, who are making history of their own.
Calling all women to come out and vote on Friday, September 27 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.: Vote at the VHAS, tour the museum and learn more about these courageous and trailblazing women.
On Saturday, the 28th, between 9 a.m. and 12 noon, there’s another chance to vote and tour the VHAS Museum.
Also on Saturday, from 4 to 7 p.m., join in the Celebration Event at Merighi’s Savoy Inn for $50 per person. The evening includes a cash bar, live music, a variety of appetizers, and a gift bag. Wear your patriotic attire! Register online at vinelandchamber.org or call 856-691-7400 to join in the celebration.
